Jeri Smith-Ready

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Whew! I've just met what I hope is my last book deadline of the year. I turned in Let It Bleed, the fourth book in the WVMP Radio series. And...well, it's rough. Luckily, my motto is, "Don't fear the rewrite!"

Moving on, our latest Girlfriends Cyber Circuit'er is Lauren Strasnick, whose second book, Her and Me and You, came out last week from Simon Pulse, who have generously offered up a copy for giveaway!

I recently read and loved Lauren's debut, Nothing Like You. I can definitely see why it was nominated for a Rita Award for best Young Adult romance. The characters are painfully real, and it was so easy to get inside the main character's skin. I couldn't put it down!

About Her and Me and You

Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, October 2010

First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred–and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred–and something about Adina–that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world, no matter the consequences.

Some HER & ME & YOU Lovin':

“Strasnick’s slim second offering packs a lot into its short chapters: divorce, broken friendships, crushes, the lines between love and sex and more. Characterization, scenes, dialogue and setting are seamlessly distilled into so few sharp, image-rich phrases that the novel reads almost as if it were written in verse. Less is definitely more here, and readers are plunged into Alex’s physical and emotional world within three to four words. Although the plot moves swiftly, the author’s ability to capture Alex’s inner world in so few words give the novel depth and balance. Complex and thought-provoking.” –Kirkus

Now, my interview with the lovely Ms. Strasnick:

1. If you could inhabit the life of any of your characters, enter their world and deal with it as that person, which one would you choose?

Oh god, I give my characters such miserable lives! Ha. I’d have to choose Holly from NOTHING LIKE YOU. She lives in Topanga Canyon, listens to good classic rock, eats bean & cheese burritos, has a sweet dog named Harry, and lives next store to an adorable dude.

2. On the flip side, which of your characters would you most like to bring to life in our world (as a friend or a little bit more ;-) ?

Fred, from H&M&Y! He’s cute and he wears corduroy.

3. What's your earliest memory?

Spinal tap! No joke! I was four.

4. Do you have any phobias?

See question 4. Also: raw chicken, flying, freeways, death.

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Poor baby! I had a spinal tap when I was 3, and luckily I don't remember it, because I've heard they're really nasty. *cringe*

Unless she's talking about the movie This is Spinal Tap, and actually at four years old, that might be kinda traumatic, too.

Anyway, on to the giveaway! In keeping with the "twin" theme of Her and Me and You, answer me this:

If you're not a twin, would you want to be a twin?

If you actually are a twin, what's your favorite book/movie/TV portrayal of twins?

Regardless of your own twinnage status, would you like to date a twin? Date both twins? Have you ever dated a twin? (I have, and no, it wasn't the least bit confusing--they had different hairstyles, and mine was way cuter.)

2 Comments:

My husband's sisters are twins but they were so different from each other I never had a problem telling them apart. One was an out going cheerleader, the other a shy tomboy.I don't think I would want have a twin though.I've heard a lot about this book in the blogosphere - looking forward to reading it!

I would not want a twin. There is just too much competition with just one of me ;) I have not dated a twin, unfortunately. I would have liked to try it once. This book looks great, I'll have to keep a look out for it.